Save me
by Sandylee007
Summary: COMPLETED! THREESHOT [Independent sequel to Leaving New York] It’s been a while since Kai left his friends, and things have gotten out of hand. KaHil
1. Shattered

A/N: So, here comes to sequel some of you have been asking for… I hope you like it, but first things first: the disclaimer.

I STILL am not out of my mind enough to think that I actually own something concerning Beyblade, so you can forget about suing me.

Alright then, lets get to the story.

* * *

Seven-years old Igor Petrova's heart was beating so hard that he feared it might burst as he ran across the small, almost abandoned park in Moscow, in hopes of meeting his friend again. His spiked, chocolate brown hair was completely messed up as he finally stood on a small hill, and his huge brown eyes lightened up as he saw the familiar figure sitting on a bench not too far away.

_He's finally back!_

Smirking cunningly, he begun sneaking towards his friend, trying to scare the other like every single time. But once again, the other boy couldn't be surprised.

" Trying to scare me again, Igor?" the other boy inquired in Russian, sounding amused.

Smirking widely, Igor took a seat beside his friend. " Yeah". A comfortable silence fell upon the two as they both drifted into their thoughts.

To anyone they made a weird couple. Where Igor was just barely seven, the other was much older, in his late teens. The boy – who still hadn't given Igor his name although they'd somewhat known each other for over ten months – had grey, almost silvery, spiked hair. Igor was sure that the hair had once held shine and glory – just like the boy – but now fell almost limply. The blue face-paint couldn't quite disguise how pale the boy's skin was. But what confirmed Igor that something bad had happened to his mysterious friend were his eyes. They held a strangest shade of auburn, and somewhere in their depths burned a hint of a fire stronger than anything Igor had ever seen before. But… They were almost blank, held such pain and sadness that Igor couldn't even understand it. Many times he'd asked his friend the reason to his sadness, but the other would always firmly refuse to tell him anything.

But that didn't matter that much to Igor. After all, the boy's past wasn't the reason Igor had became friends with him. At first, for almost two months, the boy had watched him practise blading – or at least trying to do so. Then, slowly but surely, the strange, stoic boy had became his trainer – and his only friend. It was like they were two lonely souls that had by some weird coincidence found each other.

" You are late today", the older boy finally broke the silence.

Igor pouted. " Well you haven't even showed up for the past two weeks!" he complained, speaking in Russian as well. Just then the sleeves of the other boy's long black jacket shifted slightly, and he noticed the thick, pure-white bandages covering his friend's both wrists. He frowned. " Are those battle-injuries?".

The older boy pulled his sleeves to cover the bandages again, and gave a faint half-smile. " Yes, I guess you could say so".

His frown deepened. " Are you okay?".

The boy's burgundy eyes were almost gentle as he looked at Igor. " Yeah, I think I will be".

Igor wanted to ask more, but knew that it would only irritate his friend and ended up giving a simple nod instead. Another silence fell upon them.

" I am sorry, Igor, but I can't stay for long today. But…". The older boy took something from his jacket-pocket and offered it to him. " I wanted to give you this".

Looking at the offered gift, Igor couldn't help but gasp. It was a beautiful, brand-new, midnight-blue blade with black stripes.

He took the gift like a piece of finest porcelain, and looked at his older friend in awe. " How…?".

The other smirked. " I heard that Sergei-guy broke your blade in your latest match. Figured out you needed a new one. It's an upgraded version".

He blinked and beamed. " Thank you".

The older boy replied with a simple smile. Suddenly, they both saw a red-haired boy with coffee-brown jacket standing at the nearby edge of the park, looking at his friend expectantly.

His friend's smile faded, and the boy gave him an apologetic look. " I'm sorry, but I have to go now. I'll see you later, okay?".

" As long as it's sooner than after two weeks", he replied.

With small grin, his friend got up and walked up to his friend. He watched them until they were out of his sight, then decided to go and train with his new blade. After all, he wanted to be at his best when his mysterious friend would decide to turn up again.

* * *

Kai and Tala walked silently for a while, enjoying the beautiful autumn-morning.

" I still don't understand why you're hanging around that kid", Tala finally broke the silence.

Kai shrugged. " He's going to be a great blader one day. Besides, he's much less annoying than most people around".

Tala arched an amused eyebrow. " Are you hinting something, Hiwatari?".

Kai gave his friend the most innocent look he could possibly muster. " Who, me? Never!".

Considering the past eleven months Kai had spent in Russia, living in Tala's small apartment, the conversation was a huge progress. It gave at least some hope that the old Kai Hiwatari still existed somewhere deep down.

However, no matter how much Tala would've wanted to carry on with the harmless, happy chit-chat, he knew that some things had to be discussed. Some _serious_ things. " Have you thought about what Dr. Rezchnig suggested?".

Kai's face darkened. " You mean if I've considered calling them… her?".

Tala nodded. " Yeah".

Kai seemed something between angry and sad, refused to meet Tala's eyes. The grey-haired boy shook his head resolutely. " No. I am not calling her". The boy sighed. " We've talked about this dozens of times, Tala! I left to give her a chance to be happy. I am not going to ruin it now!".

_You have no idea of how much your ruining her life with this ridiculous hiding!_, Tala wanted to scream out loud, but managed to stop himself. He knew that shouting would only make things worse, make Kai distance even more.

" How do you know what she wants if you don't even ask?" he inquired carefully, choosing his words cautiously.

Kai seemed almost desperate as the boy finally looked at him. " Tala, please don't. I don't need that right now".

Swallowing his screaming thoughts again, Tala nodded. " Okay".

Kai gave a faint smile. " Thanks".

Kai was thanking Tala of much more than just letting him be, actually. During the past eleven months, Tala had pretty much been the only one who'd kept him at least slightly in his senses. Forced him to eat and shower when a particularly bad day stroke, talked to him, listened to his endless choruses of cries during the dark hours of night… Kai knew very well that he'd been far from the easiest possible roommate, but Tala had coped with him anyway. That meant a lot to him, especially considering their colourful history.

Tala plainly smirked. " No problem. But you're gonna pay me some serious amount of rent as soon as you're back on your feet, you know that?".

Kai rolled his eyes. " Good 'ol Tala".

" Oh, shut it Hiwatari. You're living in my place, remember? Piss me of and you're living with Igor faster than you can say 'Dranzer'".

" Like you'd ever kick me out", Kai smirked. " Admit it, Ivanov: you've become accustomed to me living with you".

After that another silence fell upon them, and Tala took a quick look at his friend. Sadness immediately filled his heart. During the conversation, it'd been easy to forget that Kai wasn't exactly okay. But now, when the Phoenix had drifted back into his thoughts again… It still frightened him to see his friend's before so fiery eyes completely blank and lifeless.

It was 'bout time to do something about it. If Kai wasn't willing to save himself, Tala would have to do it for him.

END OF CHAPTER.

* * *

A/N: So, do you think this story deserves a chance to live for another two chappies?

So long (for now)!


	2. Visitor

A/N: Time for the second chapter! Thank you so much for the encouraging reviews! But at first, answers to questions you've asked…  
I admit that the name "_Leaving New York_" was kind of confusing, as the story had nothing to do with New York. I must confess that I titled it so purely for the song in it – I might've put another title had I come up with one. Kai indeed headed towards Russia, but I guess you could imagine he left from New York… The song was kinda symbolic anyway, as Hilary was the 'New York' he left. (Confusing, huh?)  
Spoiler alert! Don't read if you don't want to know! I was also asked if Igor would be seen again. Unfortunately, I afraid the answer is no. He might show up very shortly in the last chapter, but otherwise there's really no more room for him in this story.  
Okay, on with the story. Note that this includes some flashbacks to clearify what's happened.

* * *

/ _Mr. Dickinson surprised as he saw Kai's familiar figure enter his office. The Bladebrakers were all supposed to come to his office that afternoon, but it was half an hour later, so he couldn't really understand what Kai was doing there so early._

" _Well hello, Kai", he greeted the Russian. " I must say that I wasn't expecting you already"._

_He was expecting Kai to sit down, but instead the boy walked up to the window and begun to stare out, back towards him. " I… I came to ask you a favor", Kai replied, sounding like anything but his usual strong and confident self._

_He frowned. " Is there something wrong?"._

_It took for a long while before Kai spoke, and when the boy did, his voice was so quiet that it was hard to hear. " I have to leave"._

_Mr. Dickinson blinked in surprise. " Why on earth? I thought…"._

" _Things… Things have happened… that make it impossible for me to stay". Kai paused. " I came to make sure, that… that someone takes care of their training when I'll be gone". The boy sighed, bowing his head. " I'm not switching teams or anything, I just… need to get away"._

" _Well, of course, but…". Mr. Dickinson blinked again, feeling sad and disbelieving. It was almost impossible for him to believe that the boy would leave everything behind after all this time and fighting. " Are you sure?". He wished he could've yelled at Kai, shaken the boy until he'd come back to his senses, but he knew Kai well enough not to do such thing. If the Russian had decided something, it was impossible to change his mind._

" _Yes, I am", Kai replied in a strange, metallic tone. The boy slowly turned around, and it wasn't until then Mr. Dickinson noticed how empty the boy's tired eyes had became. " I need you to promise me something"._

_Looking into Kai's desperate eyes, he nodded, knowing that he had no choice. " Alright"._

" _Not a word to the others. I… I'll say goodbye to them in my own way, but I need to do it when I feel the time is right". Kai's eyes turned even more desperate. " Please"._

_What choice did Mr. Dickinson have? He nodded, tough reluctantly. " I won't say a word"._

_Nodding himself, Kai begun to move towards the door. " Thank you". His hand on the door-handle, the boy looked at him, seeming almost sad. " Bye"._

_Mr. Dickinson blinked, feeling it hard to restrain his tears. " Bye"._

_As Kai opened the door, he opened his mouth to say something more. He stopped, however, when he saw the rest of the team behind the door._

_Tyson seemed confused as the boy looked first at Kai, who barely managed to hold his mask in place, then him, just and just in control over his tears. " Did we miss something?"._ /

* * *

Kai looked around lazily as he followed Tala up the stairs in the block of flats the red-head was currently living in. True enough, the place was somewhat shady and in need of some serious reconstruction, but Kai found himself liking it. It sure as hell was different from the mansion he'd been forced to live in with his grandfather, and the fancy hotel-rooms the Bladebrakers always stayed in, but that was exactly what he needed.

Besides, the place felt almost like home, he found himself thinking.

But just almost.

He almost bumped into Tala as the boy suddenly stopped right in front of the door of his apartment, seeming uneasy. " Um… Kai… There's something I should tell you…".

Kai frowned. Something was obviously deeply wrong to make Tala _that_ nervous, and he had a dark thought that he probably wasn't going to like what Tala had to say. " What?".

As Tala looked at him, the boy had almost managed to disguise his restlessness. Almost. " We have a guest".

Kai's heart almost stopped, and his eyes widened. No, no, no! No way Tala would've done what Kai feared he might've! The red-head wouldn't be that inconsiderate. Right?

" Who is it?" he managed to ask, his voice sounding strangely groggy, like he'd been about to lose it.

Tala opened the door, not even bothering to try and hide his uneasiness. The Wolf held the door open for him. " You'll have to go in and see".

* * *

/ _" What do you mean by Kai left?" Mr. Dickinson asked. He hated having to act like he didn't know a thing, when the conversation with Kai two days earlier was still fresh in his mind. But he couldn't break the promise given to Kai, not after the desperation he'd seen in the boy._

_The team sitting in front of him seemed panicked and deeply worried, to say the least._

" _That he simply left", Tyson, who'd been phasing around the office since he came, replied, almost shouting. " He left us a freaking note!"._

" _I don't understand…", Ray murmured, seeming confused. " Why would he leave us again, why now?"._

_No one saw Hilary looking away with a huge amount of guilt in her eyes._

_After that a dark silence fell into the room as they all (save Hilary, who hadn't been there at the time) remembered all too well the last time Kai had left them in Russia. Back then, they had almost ended up loosing him. None of them dared to think about what the outcome would be this time._

_Eventually, Mr. Dickinson woke up from his thoughts. As the only adult present, he felt a sudden need to do something, anything, useful. " You said he left a note", he reminded. " What exactly did he say?"._

_Kenny, who'd been left in charge of the note no one else barely wanted to touch, handed the small piece of paper to Mr. Dickinson. With a slight frown, the old-timer opened it and read the few words scrabbled onto it – no doubt – in Kai's familiar handwriting._

_I'm sorry, but I had to leave._

_Goodbye._ /

* * *

Having a dark feeling in the pit of his stomach, Kai obeyed after slight hesitation and entered the small, two-room apartment. At first he didn't notice anything different. Then he heard the quiet talking. The alarmingly familiar voice belonged to a man.

" I hope this works too, Ray. This is our only option…". (pause) " Honestly, I have no idea". (another pause) " Yes, I agree". A new pause told that the talker had finally noticed someone's presence. " I'm sorry, but I have to go now. They just came in". (last pause) " Yes, of course I will call you as soon as I have something to report. Bye".

By the time the man was talking, Kai had walked up to the living-room, where the man was standing before a window, back to him. As the familiar man slowly turned around, Kai felt almost sick. The man looked at him solemnly for a while before talking. " Hello, Kai".

He swallowed, unable to believe that Tala had actually done this to him, called the man despite his loud protesting. " Hello, Mr. Dickinson".

* * *

/ _Laying prone on her bed, Hilary once again read through the few words on Kai's note. The only thing she had left of him._

_I'm sorry. _

_I will always love you._

_She had spent countless of hours trying to figure out the reason to his departure, but kept ending up to the same conclusion: she was the reason._

" _Damnit, Kai…", he murmured, brushing the paper gently with her fingers. " Why couldn't you just tell me…?"._

_She almost jumped as the phone rang somewhere in the hotel-room, but relaxed again as she heard steps and Tyson's familiar voice answered the phone. " Hello?"._

_Not bothering to listen to the phone-call, she allowed her thoughts to wonder. God, she was dead-tired! She had spent so many nights awake, but… How could she have slept when she kept seeing his face in her dreams?_

_She almost jumped again when someone knocked on the door, and quickly hid the note she'd kept as a secret. " Yeah?"._

_Ray's head poked in, and she immediately became alarmed as she saw his slightly reddened eyes, filled with deep worry. " Tala just called". The boy gulped. " It's about Kai"._ /

* * *

It was just then Tala also came to the living-room. The red-head gave Kai an apologetic look. " I'm sorry, but I had to call him…".

Kai found himself shivering, from both the nausea he was feeling and anger. " I can't believe you did this, Tala. After everything I said…".

With that, Kai turned around and prepared himself to leave. Would he stay a second longer, he might end up hurting someone. And that was the last thing he wanted at the moment. He was stopped soon, however, as a strong hand landed onto his shoulder. Kai couldn't help but be slightly surprised. When the heck had Mr. D became that fast! " Kai, please, don't leave". Slowly, reluctantly, he turned around and met Mr. D's solemn, determined eyes. " And I think Tala did the right thing, young man". Mr. D, knowing that Kai wasn't going to leave anymore, took the hand away from his shoulder and looked at the bandages covering his wrists. " I think this has come much too far".

* * *

/ _Sitting in a waiting room of a Russian hospital, the Bladebrakers and the Demolition Boys, who'd also been called, felt more helpless than ever in their lives. They tried to stay optimistic, but as hours ticked by torturously slowly frustration begun to take place._

_Eventually Tyson, who'd been phasing around the room, stopped, his hands clenched into tight fists and face a mask of aggravation. " What the hell is taking for so long!" he yelled, punching the nearby wall with his fist._

" _Calm down, Tyson", Max, who for once wasn't on his usual hyper-mode, told from his seat. " I'm sure these things just take time"._

_All their heads turned swiftly towards the door of the room as it opened, but the looks of hope and expectation turned into ones of disappointment as the entered was just Mr. Dickinson, who'd been out to make some phone-calls. _

_Seeing their looks, the man sighed. " I'm guessing there's no news"._

_Shakes of heads were his only answer._

_No one knew how many hours had passed when a brown-haired male-doctor in his mid-thirties entered, his blue eyes showing fatigue. Not even self noticing it, everyone got up, looks of expectation once again in their eyes._

" _Well?" Tala asked, his voice tense._ /

* * *

About fifteen minutes later extremely worried Tala had went into the kitchen to make some tea. After calming down for a while, Kai had slumped into the couch where he still remained, his legs brought up against his chest in a protective gesture and eyes staring into space, completely blank. Mr. Dickinson stood not too far away, looking at the boy who was before filled with such fire and passion now completely hollow. Not a word had passed between the trio for full five minutes.

" Why are you doing this to yourself, Kai?" Mr. D finally asked in a sad tone. " Your team misses you, we all do. There's no need for a torture like this!".

Kai remained quiet, and for a longest time Mr. D thought that the boy wasn't going to speak. They both seemed equally surprised as the quiet, barely audible words finally escaped Kai's lips. " I have to do this for her".

Mr. D frowned. " For who?". He suddenly clicked and his frown deepened. " For Hilary? But why…?".

But Kai drifted back into his own world, and it was clear that the boy wouldn't speak a word anymore. Mr. Dickinson, instead, drifted into his thoughts, trying to figure out what Kai had meant with his few words. Suddenly his old eyes flashed as remembered the short note Hilary had, reluctantly tough, showed him three months earlier. The note Kai had given her the night he left.

_I'm sorry._

_I will always love you._

Was that it? Was this entire torture all about love?

* * *

/ _" I'm Dr. Anton Rezchnig", the doctor introduced himself with an accent much thicker than Tala's. " I assume you are the friends of Kai Hiwatari?"._

" _Yeah", Tyson replied with an anxious nod. _

" _How is he?" Ray filled._

_Dr. Rezchnig seemed slightly uneasy. " I'm sorry, but I'm really supposed to only tell his guardian…"._

" _I would be the closest one to that", Mr. Dickinson informed, taking a step towards the man. " You can tell them too, they've been waiting for hours"._

_Dr. Rezchnig nodded. " Very well". He took a look at his papers. " Physically, Kai is alright. There was quite a blood-loss, but fortunately it wasn't fatal. We'll keep him in here for overnight just in case before removing him to the psychiatric ward"._

" _What!" came various gasps._

_The doctor sighed. " That would be the mental part". Sighing again, he shook his head. " I wish I could say something definite, but…"._

" _Can… Can we see him?" Hilary asked, speaking for a first time since they landed on Russia. Her eyes were filled with desperation and unshed tears. " Please… I… I need to talk to him"._

_Dr. Rezchnig sighed once again. " I'm sorry, but… He gave me instructions to let in no visitors"._

_Eyes flashing, Tala took a step forward. " Can I talk to him?"._

_Dr. Rezchnig was about to protest, but Tala cut in by saying something in Russian. After a few minutes of negotiations, the doctor finally nodded._

_It seemed to take forever, tough it couldn't be more than fifteen minutes before Tala re-entered. Once again, the gang stood without self noticing it._

" _Well?" Hilary almost whispered, eyes filled with desperate hope._

_Tala seemed sad and gave a deep sigh before shaking his head. _

_At that moment, Hilary couldn't take it anymore. She'd been on the edge for months already, tried to keep herself together under crushing guilt and worry. But that simple response pushed her over the limit. Without saying a word, ignoring the others' worried questions and attempts to stop her, she turned around and ran away, tears welling into her eyes._ /

* * *

Mr. D looked at Kai, knowing that the boy wouldn't even notice his gaze, and observed the boy's painted face. Sadness filled his old heart as he realised that his conclusion was a right one.

" She deserves so much better".

At first, Mr. Dickinson thought he'd imagined the whispered words. But he found he was wrong as he saw Kai looking at him with sorrow-filled eyes.

" Is that why you left?" he asked.

Kai nodded, staring into space again. " Yeah".

He didn't know for how long the new silence had lasted when Tala entered the room, carrying three steaming cups of camomile-tea. While giving Mr. D his cup, Tala gave him a questioning look.

_Any progress?_

Sad look in his eyes, Mr. D shook his head. Nodding equally sadly in sign of understanding, Tala went and took a seat next to Kai, who hadn't even touched his tea.

While sipping his tea, Mr. D gave Kai one more look, wondering what it would take to bring the boy back from the dark.

And suddenly, he understood that he wouldn't be able to do that. Only one person would be able to shake Kai's shadows away, convince him that escaping wasn't the only choice.

" Tala, can I have a word with you?" he asked.

The young Russian nodded, seeming more than slightly confused, and followed him into the kitchen. Once there, the boy closed the door after making sure that Kai wouldn't move from his spot in the couch. " What's going on?".

" We both know why Kai is doing this", Mr. D explained.

Tala nodded, seeming sad. " For Hilary". The boy sighed, shaking his head. " Kai thinks that this escaping will somehow help her. And… There's also something else".

Mr. Dickinson frowned. " Go on".

" Kai thinks that Hilary and Tyson have something going on. That's another reason why he left: he wanted to let the two of them have each other".

All begun to make sense to Mr. D. He'd seen Hilary and Tyson fooling around with each other, the way Kai always looked at them.

But… There was nothing more to it. While showing Kai's note to him, Hilary had told him that there was absolutely nothing between her and Tyson. That there was only one boy in her heart…

" I think there's only one thing we can do for Kai", he murmured, sipping his already almost cold tea.

Tala gave him an slightly surprised look. " Hmm?".

" There's only one person who can help him now", the man explained to him.

* * *

/ _Hilary had no idea of for how long she'd been sitting in the bench outside the Russian hospital, her face buried into her hands and her entire body shivering from sobs, when she suddenly heard steps approaching._

" _Here you are", Tala's familiar, accented voice stated. She heard clothes rustling softly as the boy took a seat beside her. " We begun to get worried"._

_Her tears almost ceased, she roughly wiped her eyes. " Sorry". Sobbing, she looked at him, slightly confused. " You know that this… this is my fault…". She sobbed again. " Don't you hate me?"._

" _You know that that's not true, Hilary", he told her, looking at her in the eyes. " Look, I know that this has been a real hell to you, but… You are his only hope. Without you…". He looked away and sighed. " I don't even dare to think what he would do without you"._

" _But he won't even see me!" she cried, setting free all her pain and frustration._

_Tala gave her a brief smile. " You know how stubborn he can get". Tala then became solemn again, and his eyes flashed. " Promise me you won't give up on him. Because if you do…". Tala didn't have to finish._

_Without a slightest hint of hesitation, Hilary nodded. " I won't", she promised. " Whatever it'll take, I will help him. No matter the cost, I won't abandon him now"._

_Some minutes later, empty crimson eyes observed from the window of a hospital-room as Hilary said final byes to Tala before she turned around and begun to walk away. Barely managing to hold back his tears, Kai pressed his hand against the cold glass. " Goodbye", he whispered._ /

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: I think we all know who Mr. Dickinson will call. But how will Kai feel about it?  
Until the next and last chapter…  
Sayonara! 


	3. Redemption

A/N: So here comes the last chapter! First of all, thank you so much for reviewing and actually reading this!

Secondly… If you got confused with the flashbacks in the last chapter, try to read the last three flashbacks (aka. the hospital scenes) as whole. That should help you get the picture. They go in timeline, happening right after one another.

And thirdly (geez, this'll be a looooooong a/n…)… The song in this chapter is Switchfoot's "Dare You To Move". I don't own it (tough I'd very much want to), but I thought it fit here beautifully.

Anyways, on with the story! Hope you'll like this chapter.

* * *

_Welcome to the planet_

_Welcome to existence_

_Everyone's here_

_Everyone's here_

_Everybody's watching you now_

_Everybody waits for you now_

_What happens next?_

_What happens next?_

* * *

As Kai slowly opened his eyes, everything was dark at first. He frowned. What had woken him up?

In fact, it was a miracle that he'd actually fallen asleep. During the passed long months, all sleeping had offered him were nightmares, so cruel and painful that he'd rather chosen not to sleep at all.

But tonight was different. Not a single nightmare had been haunting his mind. First time in a long while he'd actually been sleeping peacefully.

Was it because of the soft scent of vanilla that lingered in the room?

Just then he heard the whisper, so quiet that he almost missed it. " Kai?".

The voice… It was so familiar… He refused to get up, too afraid that he might not see the face he yearned the most.

" Kai… Please…".

Slowly, extremely carefully, his forced his body into a sitting position – and felt his heart skip a beat as he saw the figure sitting by his bedside.

She smiled to him. " Hi".

He blinked, closed his eyes for a while and then opened them again. She was still there. " Hilary?" he whispered.

She nodded in conferment, smile widening.

_

* * *

_

_I dare you to move_

_I dare you to move_

_I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor_

_I dare you to move_

_I dare you to move_

_Like today never happened_

_Today never happened before_

* * *

For a long time the two simply looked at each other, almost like not believing the other was really there. Neither spoke in fear of breaking the magic, destroying the sweet dream that was so tempting and beautiful.

Gods, for so many times when he had actually fallen asleep Kai had had this exactly same dream of Hilary coming to him… Each time he'd kissed her, told her he loved her, and she had replied feeling the same.

But that could only happen in his dreams.

Was this another dream?

Eventually Kai decided to take the risk of waking up from his dream and slowly reached out his hand, carefully brushing the soft skin of Hilary's hand. He half expected that the hand would disappear and he would once again wake up alone, with the now familiar, unbearable pain in his heart. But, to his great surprise, that didn't happen. Instead Hilary closed her smaller hand softly around his, the warmth of her skin warming his ice-cold hand.

He looked at her, eyes slightly widened. " Is this a dream?" he dared himself to ask, taking the huge risk of getting hurt once again.

But Hilary didn't disappear. He didn't wake up. Instead another warm smile made its way to her rosy lips and she shook her head, tightening her grip on his hand. " No. I swear to you, this is for real".

He didn't know what to do, no words willed their way through his lips.

How ironic. Always in his dreams he'd known exactly what to say and do. But now… It occurred to him that reality was indeed much more difficult than dreams.

Eventually it was Hilary who begun the speaking. Her smile had faded, instead she seemed sad, perhaps even slightly indignant. " Why did you do it, Kai? I don't understand…". She swallowed and looked away for a short while, then back to him again. " If you really love me, why didn't you tell me so instead of running away?".

He gave a dry, bitter laughter. " Because running away has always been what I do the best, I guess". It wasn't even close to the whole truth, but Hilary didn't have to know that.

But as he looked into Hilary's eyes, he found that he was wrong. The sad, disappointed look told that she did know much more than he'd thought. Damnit! He'd hurt her again. It seemed that pain was all he could bring on people. He wanted to apologise to her, but yet again words wouldn't make their way out. And then she spoke. " Come back with me". She sounded pleading, almost desperate. The tone broke his heart. " Please, Kai, come back. I miss you, we all do".

Gods how much he wanted to say yes! His entire heart and soul begged him to give in, to surrender under Hilary's enchanting eyes, but he couldn't. Not after all he'd done to protect her from him.

He shook his head, fought back the unbearably hot tears. Refusing to look at Hilary, he closed his eyes tightly, so tightly that it hurt. " No", he whispered, so quietly that he was almost sure Hilary couldn't hear him.

" Why not?".

He looked at her, and his heart ached worse than ever before as he saw the unshed tears in her eyes. So much pain… So much pain because of him… All because of him… " Because I can't make my shadows yours", he whispered.

_

* * *

_

_Welcome to the fallout_

_Welcome to resistance_

_The tension is here_

_The tension is here_

_Between who you are and who you could be_

_Between how it is and how it should be_

* * *

" Is that what you think you'll bring to me? Shadows? Pain?". She sounded so compassionate that it made it almost impossible to hold back tears. He closed his eyes again, even tighter this time, to keep the tears from coming, and nodded. " Kai, look at me". It was a gentle, yet firm demand. He refused. " Please, look at me!". The desperation in her tone finally forced him to look at her. First of her tears were already rolling, shining painfully beautifully in the silvery moonlight, like a small rivers of diamonds. " I will never let go of you, not ever", she told him, squeezing tightly his hand she was still holding. " And I am not afraid of you, Kai. I know that you have your shadows, dark ones at that, but they don't matter. Nothing will bring me down as long as I have you". More diamonds shined on her cheeks, her grip on his hand was almost painful. " Can't you see? Don't you understand, after all this time? _You_ are what makes me strong! And I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I'd let you fall like this".

Those words… All the sincerity behind them… The cold, icy fist that had been squeezed painfully around Kai's heart for almost all his life shattered. And it hurt, almost more than he could bear, to feel his heart start beating all over again. It almost felt like he was coming back to life again.

He no longer held back his tears.

Hilary smiled through her own tears, seeing his painful layer of ice finally coming down. First time ever, when she looked into Kai's eyes that despite the tears had finally regained their old fire, she realised that she was looking into the eyes of the real Kai Hiwatari.

No more masks. No more ice. No more dreams. This was for real.

But, as anyone could tell, even tough the ice was gone, the cold still remained. And so did the pain.

" It h-hurts s-so…", Kai whispered, sounding almost confused, as he'd never before, not even in the hands of his grandfather, felt such pain. He couldn't understand. How could something good, something that was supposed to happen, hurt so much?

Hilary, however, nodded in understanding, her tears beginning to dry. " I know".

_

* * *

_

_I dare you to move_

_I dare you to move_

_I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor_

_I dare you to move_

_I dare you to move_

_Like today never happened_

_Today never happened_

* * *

For a long time the two sat in silence, Hilary holding Kai's slightly trembling hand to prove the boy that she was there for him, that it wasn't just another dream.

They'd both had enough of dreams.

Eventually Kai's tears settled, and the boy looked at her, seeming to be deep in thought. Hilary couldn't help wondering what he was thinking about, but didn't dear to ask, afraid that any wrong word might make the ice return to his eyes.

She didn't want him to withdraw again, not after all they'd just accomplished.

But they both knew that questions had to be asked. Serious questions.

" Why… Why did you came?" Kai finally whispered.

Hilary smiled and, slightly tentatively, pushed some silvery bangs off Kai's forehead. He scolded at the touch first, but then relaxed. The small gesture gave her the courage she needed to reply. " Mr. D called me and told that… that you needed me. I couldn't stay away". She brushed the bandages on his wrists and shuttered slightly. " You should've let us help you, Kai. Let _me_ help you. I wanted to".

Kai was surprised, to say the least. She had actually wanted to be there for him? " Why?". The question escaped before he even really thought about it.

A look that was a mixture of amusement and hurt placed itself onto Hilary's face. " You still haven't figured it out?". She laughed a little and shook her head, looking at him with a soft look in her eyes. " Gosh, you have such a thick head in some things…".

He smirked. " So I've been told".

They sat in silence for a while again, both knowing that the hardest questions still remained unasked.

Finally, Hilary gathered all her courage. It was time to mouth the question that had been haunting her for eleven long months. " Kai… Was it true? What you wrote in that note?". She closed her eyes and swallowed hard, squeezing Kai's hand as if it was her lifeline. " Do you love me?"

There was a long pause, and for a long time she feared that the answer might not be what she prayed it to be. But eventually Kai spoke, so quietly that it was hard to hear. " Yes".

She opened her eyes and looked at him, her gaze locking into his captivating burgundy orbs. Gods how she'd longed them, longed him! " That's good", she whispered, her voice slightly choked, as if it'd been hard to speak. " Because… Because the thing is that…". It was so hard to say it, almost unbearable. " I love you too".

_

* * *

_

_Maybe redemption has stories to tell_

_Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell_

_Where can you run to escape from yourself?_

_Where you gonna go?_

_Where you gonna go?_

_Salvation is here _

* * *

Kai's eyes widened by Hilary's words. No… He couldn't even believe it… It was just too good to be true… " W – what?". He had to hear it again, just to be sure.

She blinked her eyes, another diamond-storm ready to outbreak. " I love you, Kai". She sniffed, blinking now furiously. " That night, when you left, I understood… I understood everything…". One tear escaped, then another. " God, I was so afraid that I'd never have a chance to tell you… That I'd never see you again…".

" Sh…". Not bothering to resist the temptation any longer, he gently released his hand from hers and wrapped both his arms around her slim, quivering form, pulling her as close to him as possible. As he closed his eyes and buried his face into her vanilla-scented hair, he could feel her heart beating strongly against his chest, in a perfect sync with his. " Sh… It's going to be okay… Everything's gonna work out…".

With much reluctance, she eventually pulled herself slightly away from him to look him in the eyes, her own eyes still filled with almost ceased tears. " You're going to have to promise me something".

He felt his heart jump. He'd never been good with promises. " Hilary, I… I'm not sure if I can…".

" Promise me", she repeated, eyes flaming, ignoring his protest. " Never leave me again". Second time that night, her fingers brushed his bandages. " And never do anything like that again".

He tried to smirk, but it turned out to be just a pathetic attempt. " That was two promises".

Hilary glared daggers at him. " Kai!".

Looking at her, he suddenly felt powerless to reject her. And actually, he wasn't sure if he even wanted to. Smiling gently, he freed one of his hands from Hilary to brush her silky hair. " I can only promise you to try. None of us can do more than that, ne?".

She nodded, also smiling. " Then that shall be enough".

With that they both laid down, completely exhausted, and Kai sighed contentedly as he pulled Hilary close to him and took in her soothing scent. God, he'd missed her so much, waited for so long! And as long as it should be in his hands, he'd never be away from her again.

_

* * *

_

_I dare you to move _

_I dare you to move _

_I dare you to lift yourself _

_Lift yourself up off the floor _

_I dare you to move _

_I dare you to move _

_Like today never happened _

_Today never happened _

_Today never happened _

_Today never happened before_

* * *

Some hours later, Tala carefully inched the door and smiled as he saw the sleeping lovers in each other's arms. Seeing the way Kai was holding Hilary, he knew that the boy would never let go of her again.

Sure enough, there was a long, rocky road ahead of the two. But as long as they should have each other, Tala was sure that they would make it. The healing had already begun.

They would save each other, keep one another from falling.

Always.

Still smiling, Tala soundlessly closed the door, leaving the long-parted lovers to rest.

* * *

Two days later, Igor was just practising blading in his backyard when the door opened. He quickly called his blade back and turned his head, seeing his mother at the doorway. " What's going on?" he inquired.

She offered him a letter. " A young man left this for you", she replied. " He told me you would understand it".

Frowning, he stepped forward and took the letter from his mom. " Thanks".

As soon as she was back inside, he hurriedly ripped the envelope open, anxious to see what was in it. The note wasn't long, but made him smile nevertheless. What drew his attention even more than the words, however, was the beautiful picture of a phoenix rising from ashes drawn onto the paper.

_Thank you for everything._

_Remember to practice well, for I'll be watching every single one of your matches. Perhaps one day we'll have a battle of our own… _

_Kai Hiwatari_

Igor's smile became even brighter, as he knew that what the boy he now knew as Kai had written was a promise. " I _will_ battle you one day", he murmured in Russian, squeezing the paper tightly, his eyes flashing. " Just wait and see".

If only Igor had turned his head, he would've seen Kai standing on the nearby street. The silver-hared Phoenix smiled as he turned around and walked away, disappearing from view.

**

* * *

**

**End.**

* * *

A/N: Awwwww... Call it corny, but I think those two deserve a happy ending.

Well, the story is over now. Once again, thank you all so much for all the more than encouraging reviews! After all, its _you_ who I'm writing to.

Anyways, off towards new adventures! Don't forget to review this last chapter, please?

So long – but only for now!


End file.
